A tonsil consists of an epithelially-lined
crypt (invaginated pocket) surrounded by lymphoid
tissue.

In
this close-up view of a tonsilar crypt, the stratified squamous epithelium
is almost completely obscured by infiltrating lymphocytes.
Some lymphocytes may even be seen in the crypt lumen, along with some
shed epithelial cells.

Epithelial cells can be recognized by their nuclei, which
are much larger and more euchromatic than the lymphocytes, typically with
one or two prominent nucleoli.